The subject matter disclosed herein relates to video inspection devices and, more particularly, to methods and systems for steering an insertion tube of a video inspection device.
Video inspection devices, such as video borescopes/endoscopes, can be used to inspect an object to identify and analyze anomalies (e.g., cracks) that may have resulted from damage to, or wear of, the object. For example, a video inspection device can be used to inspect the blade of a turbine engine to identify any anomalies that may have formed to determine if any repair or maintenance is required. In order to make that assessment, it is often necessary to obtain and display video images showing the anomaly and then to use those video images to report and analyze the anomaly, including using the video images to make highly accurate dimensional measurements.
For many inspections conducted with a video inspection device, at least a portion of the object to be inspected is inaccessible and cannot be viewed without the use of an insertion tube with a camera head at its distal end that can be positioned proximate to the portion of the object to be inspected. During an inspection, an inspector can use a pointing device (e.g., a joystick) of the video inspection device to steer the insertion tube by controlling a plurality of articulation cables that move a bending neck located at the distal end of the insertion tube to position the camera head to obtain video images of anomalies on the object. These video images can be displayed on a video display of the video inspection device during the inspection and saved for further analysis. In many instances, it is desirable to steer the insertion tube to precisely position the camera head such that the anomaly is in the center of the video image obtained by the camera head to facilitate subsequent reporting and analysis of the anomaly. For example, centering the anomaly in the video images typically provides optimal illumination of the anomaly and decreases the risk of having a portion of the anomaly not captured in the video image.
While the coarse steering of the bending neck to position the camera head proximate to the anomaly can often be accomplished with little difficulty by the inspector, precise steering of the bending neck required to center the anomaly in a video image is more difficult to accomplish as the pointing device cannot easily be used to steer the insertion tube and camera head to a precise position. The inability of the video inspection device to easily provide for precise steering of the insertion tube can frustrate the inspector and compromise the quality of the reporting and analysis of the anomaly if the anomalies are not properly positioned in the video images.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.